TAMPA, Fla. — You couldn’t miss Desmond Watson at the Bucs Rookie Camp if you tried. He literally stood out.

What You Need To Know

  •  The Tampa Bay Bucs signed Desmond Watson as an undrafted free agent

  •  Watson starred on the football field for the University of Florida and Armwood High School

  • Down more than 30 pounds from his weight during the Florida Gators 2025 Pro Day, he is still the heaviest player in the history of the NFL, but says he doesn't want to be defined by his size

One of the Bucs' newest players was head and shoulders above the other newbies on the team. When you are 6 feet, 6 inches tall and weigh a little over 430 pounds, you’re going to stand out.

Watson gets it. He knows people are talking about his size, but soon, he wants them to be talking about his play on the field.

“I don’t want that to be my narrative and things like that,” he said. “I want to be known as a football player, and good football player at that.”

Watson is working hard to bring his weight down, and he already has from the 464 pounds he weighed at the Florida Gators 2025 Pro Day. He said he would like to get down to his playing weight when he starred on the football field for the Armwood Hawks.

His high school coach, Evan Davis, recalled how Watson took over games. How he towered over offensive linemen. How he looked like a man amongst boys. But mostly, he remembered how much fun Watson had on the football field.

“He’s one of the smartest football players,” Davis said. “Even though he plays in the interior on the defense, he can tell you what the safety and the cornerback’s doing. He knows the offense, it will allow him to play even faster. And obviously, he’s just a force of nature physically.”

In the Armwood weight room where Watson put in a lot of hours, his mom, Deonzia Woullard, watched video of him practicing with the Bucs for the first time. She couldn’t help but beam with pride. Watson's No. 1 fan also happens to be a lifelong Tampa Bay fan. His dad rooted for the Pittsburgh Steelers, resulting in Watson dressed in Steelers colors as a baby. But it was his mom who dressed him in Bucs red days after he was born to celebrate the team’s first Super Bowl win.

“He knows what he has to do to get there, and he’s working hard to get there,” Deonzia said. “He knows he’s not entitled. He knows it’s not just going to be given to him. And he’s just doing what he needs to do to get there.”

The NFL is going to be a different challenge for Watson.

And his weight isn’t the only number he’s changing. At Armwood and Florida, he wore No. 21. For the Bucs, he’ll wear No. 56. But 21 will always be his motivational number. It’s the number his younger brother Dyson wore when he played youth football. Dyson’s playing career ended when he suffered a stroke at the age of 5. He’s been confined to a wheelchair ever since. Watson said he plays in his honor.

“In honor of him not being able to play anymore," he said. "I guess I can use that number and be in the spotlight and get my number called just to put a smile on his face."